Easter Shaping Up As Retailing Bonanza

Easter is a big holiday. Really big. Nearly 80 percent of consumers say they will celebrate.

Among retail beneficiaries, discount stores will be the Easter shopping destination of 57.2 percent of shoppers. Department stores will attract 36.8 percent. But smaller stores also stand to ring up Easter sales.

Nearly a quarter – 23.7 percent — of Easter shoppers will go to specialty stores for their bunnies and eggs, according to BIGresearch, which conducted the survey for the National Retail Federation. Specialty clothing stores will attract 6.7 percent of holiday shoppers, and 12.7 percent of Easter consumers expect to buy their merchandise online. Finally, 5.6 percent say they will order their Easter purchases from catalogs.

People between the ages of 25 and 34 will spend the most –$147.47 – on Easter. Consumers in the 45-to-54 age group will pay $144.13 for Easter merchandise. Those in the 35-to-44 age category will spend $139.36 on bunnies and other things Easter. People aged 18 to 24 plan to spend $137.30 per person.

Florists have plenty to be thankful for during the upcoming religious season, with Easter and Passover accounting for 15 percent of all transactions and 11 percent of dollar volume, according to the Society of American Florists. Forty-one percent of customers will buy flowering and green houseplants, 38 percent will purchase cut flowers and 21 percent will spend their money on outdoor bedding and garden plants.

All in all, Easter sounds like a retailing bonanza. So hop right down to the store of your choice and spend like a bunny.